8 Tips For Using Leave-In Conditioner

Wondering why your hair isn't looking great despite your diligent washing and conditioning? You need this extra step - leave-in conditioner!

Hair feeling greasy? Looking shiny, and not in a good way? We’re all too familiar with the hassle of leave-in conditioners. I never really got into them until I bleached my hair and discovered the natural oils my scalp was producing wasn’t enough. Neither was the heavy-duty conditioner made for “damaged” hair. I was painfully aware of how heavy certain leave-in conditioners were. My hair looked really flat, or my scalp was too greasy and I’d get dandruff. Sometimes, the product doesn’t use dry oils (dry oils are lightweight, does not feel greasy and is absorbed quickly) and I started breaking out on my cheeks and forehead.

Like many, I thought that leave-in conditioners only supplement oil – which normal conditioners do just as well. What I didn’t know was that it can also help protect against sun damage, detangle, add shine, smooth out frizzy hair, and many more depending on your hair concerns.

1. Determine Your Hair Porosity

If you’ve never heard about this ever, you should probably do the simple test of dropping a strand of stray hair that has come off into a glass of water. If it floats, your hair has low porosity. And if it sinks slowly, your hair has normal porosity. If it sinks immediately, your hair has high porosity. As the word porosity infers, it shows how porous your hair is, or how easy it is for oil and moisture to be let in. This is different from absorption. Low porosity hair types doesn’t take well to having moisture taken in, but it will do well at absorption. High porosity hair is hair that has been dehydrated that it will take in anything.

2. Figure Out Your Hair Type

Now that we’ve gotten the hair porosity down, figure out your hair type. I used to think I had stubborn, straight hair but now that my hair is in a worse condition than before, I realised that it was probably the well-moisturised and healthy hair that kept my hair in good place. I’ve grown from that to having slightly dry and hair that frizzes easily thus having curlier hair than before as a result.

3. Decide Which Is For You

There are various types of leave-in products, the most obvious being hair oil, serums and cream-based leave-in conditioners. Hair mousse are usually for styling purposes so be careful not to get the wrong products! The main difference then, I feel, is that most leave-in conditioners can be applied onto damp hair so that your hair will dry beautifully. I feel that applying leave-in conditioners on dry hair just isn’t the same, it doesn’t spread as evenly as hair oils do. It also depends on the dry oils that are used in the products, so it’s really up to your own preference.

4. Different Seasons

The various seasons call for different skincare products and the same applies for your leave-in conditioners. It gets warm during the summer so you should look into leave-in conditioners that provide some sort of sun care. What’s with the increased moisture in the air, your hair will take in all of that so there is a tendency to have frizzier hair during this period. Winter then, is especially dry so be generous with your conditioners else you’ll be prone to brittle hair.

5. Only The Tips

You might think, “duh, I already know this”. You’d be surprised how many people slather it over their whole head. I, myself, have specifically been told by my mother to only apply on my hair ends but the younger me thought that the scalp needed some tender, loving care too. I ended up dropping a bunch of hair before I realised what was the cause of it. Focus on the ends, the last 5cm to be specific. Don’t go overboard like I did.

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6. Change Your Pillowcase Regularly

Some people have more sensitive skin, or more prone to breakouts. Or maybe you just sleep with your hair all over your face. If you’re using leave-in conditioners regularly, it’d be a good idea to change it more frequently than your bedsheets.

7. Daily Use? Twice A Week?

It really depends on the type of leave-in conditioner you get, as well as the results it produces. When I know that I’ll be out for the entire day, I choose to skip on my leave-in conditioner because my scalp gets oily easily, so everything will be too heavy, looking flat and greasy nearing the end of the day so I try to avoid that. Your hair condition will change too, so maybe you don’t need it as often as you have been applying it.

8. Decide If You Actually Need It

I’m just kidding, you totally need it. There are so many ways you can mess your hair up – too hot baths during cold days, windy days that causes your hair to be more brittle and porous. Conditioning it in the shower doesn’t seem to be enough anymore. You can’t just use more conditioner either because if it doesn’t wash off properly, it’s just gonna cause a build-up and that’s a whole different story.